License Renewals

Categories of Acceptable License Renewal Activities

In order to be valid for renewal, professional learning activities must fall into the categories detailed in R277-500. This website details those categories and provides additional guidance regarding policy not covered in the rule.

Remember, Utah Code 53A-1-603 requires that licensed educators currently employed by a district or charter school must include at least two (2) hours of suicide prevention training as part of their license renewal activities. This training is required to be provided by your district or charter school; contact your principal, HR director, or Charter director for more information.

Professional Learning Timeframes

If an educator holds a current Utah educator license, only professional learning activities that have been completed since the last renewal are valid for renewal. For example, if an educator renews his license on 5/20/2012 then any professional learning activities that occurred before 5/20/2012 cannot be counted towards his next license renewal.

If an educator holds an expired Utah educator license, only professional learning activities completed within 1 license cycle from the date of renewal can be counted. The license cycle is defined as the length of time for which a license is valid. A level 1 license is valid for 3 years, a level 2 license is valid for 5 years, and a level 3 license is valid for 7 years. For example, if an educator holds an expired Level 2 license and is renewing that license on 3/1/2013 then only professional learning activities completed after 3/1/2008 may be counted towards the renewal of the license.

Only years of employment with satisfactory performance evaluations may be counted for license renewal points.

A Level 1 license holder may earn 25 license renewal points per year of employment to a maximum of 50 points per license cycle.

A Level 2 or 3 license holder may earn 35 license renewal points per year of employment to a maximum of 105 points per license cycle.

Guidance/Clarification:
An educator that is working for a public school or regionally-accredited private school in another state may also receive points for their employment as long as he received satisfactory performance evaluations. An educator that is employed by an institution of higher-learning (community college, university…etc.) or by a supplemental instructional service (Sylvan Learning Center – Non-Day School) does not receive these points and is not considered an active educator. An inactive educator may still receive these points for years in which they were active even if they do not currently meet the criteria as an active educators. For example, a Level 2 license holder that is not currently employed but was employed for 2 of the previous 5 years is considered an inactive educator, but may count 70 points towards license renewal (35 per year for Level 2).

Employment of half-time (720 annual contract hours) or more earns the full points per year listed above. Employment of less than half time earns points as described in the following tables:

Each semester hour, as recorded on an official transcript, equals 18 license renewal points.

Guidance/Clarification:
Only non-remedial (course number > 1000) coursework at regionally-accredited universities may be counted for renewal points. If a licensed educator is employed by a university and is teaching university level coursework he may receive the same renewal points as an individual taking the course, but may only count each unique course once per renewal. For example, if an educator is teaching 2 sections of English 1010, worth 3 semester credits, at the local community college he may receive 54 license renewal points, but if the educator is teaching 1 section of English 1010 and 1 section of English 2010, also worth 3 semester credits, he may receive 108 license renewal points. As teaching the course does not appear on a university transcript, this would need to be documented differently. Typically a letter from the dean of the college detailing the classes taught is acceptable.

shall be successfully completed through attendance and required project(s).

each semester credit hour equals 15 license renewal points.

Guidance/Clarification:
USOE professional development credit should be verified through the OnTrack system. Professional learning sponsored by another state does not fall into this category, but rather falls into category D or E. Educators serving as the instructor of such a course receives points equivalent to an individual that took the course. This is limited to once per course per license cycle similar to the example described above under category B.

shall be approved by the LEA at least four weeks prior to the scheduled activity;

may include LEA or school based professional learning such as:

participating in professional learning communities;

development of LEA or school curriculum;

planning and implementation of a school improvement plan;

mentoring a Level 1 teacher;

engaging in instructional coaching;

conducting action research;

studying student work with colleagues to inform instruction.

Each clock hour of scheduled professional learning activity time equals one license renewal point, not to exceed 25 points per activity per year.

Guidance/Clarification:
The list under category D(2) is not intended to be a comprehensive list, but rather is intended to provide examples of non-traditional activities that improve educator skill. This type of professional learning activities may be documented in the OnTrack system or a completion certificate provided by the LEA that includes the educator’s name. Otherwise it should be documented with a letter from the school principal or responsible LEA administrator detailing the activity and the participation of the particular educator.

Acceptable activities are those that enhance or improve education, yet may not fall into a specific category.

These activities shall be approved by the educator's supervisor, by a licensed administrator if the educator is an inactive educator, or with prior written approval by the USOE.

Each clock hour of participation equals one license renewal point, not to exceed 25 points per activity.

Guidance/Clarification:
This category is intended to include any appropriate professional learning activity that is not included in any other category that the educator feels enhances his skills in the classroom. The licensed administrator that is signing off on the renewal or professional learning plan has the final determination as to whether or not a particular activity will be approved. Any such activity should be directly related to the educator's skills and teaching areas and should be professional in nature; not informal.

Example: an integrated science teacher has the opportunity to work at a dinosaur dig site with local university professors during the summer and details the experience using video journals to enhance his lessons in the coming year. This activity will increase the teacher’s ability to instruct students on any paleontology related lesson and is formal in nature. This type of activity should be approved.

Non-example: an integrated science teacher goes camping every summer and brings back interesting floral samples and fossils to enhance his instruction. While this activity may certainly improve instruction in the class, this collection is not formal and is not increasing the skills of the teacher; it is enhancing his materials. This type of activity should not be approved.

There is no clear black and white line in regards to this category. Again, the final determination as to whether an activity is appropriate in this category is made by the licensed administrator signing the renewal form of the educator.

Acceptable workshops and programs shall be approved by the educator's supervisor, by a licensed Administrator if the educator is an inactive educator, or with prior written approval by the USOE.

Each clock hour of participation equals one license renewal point, not to exceed 25 points per activity.

Guidance/Clarification:
A certificate of completion that includes the educator’s name is the most appropriate way of documenting this type of activity. A copy of an agenda or program alone is not an acceptable form of documentation. Other documentation, such as an agenda accompanied by a registration payment receipt with the educator’s name, may be acceptable at the discretion of the licensed administrator.

Each test must be related to the educator's current or potential license area(s) or endorsement(s).

No more than two test score reports may be submitted in a license cycle.

Guidance/Clarification:
This is typically a Praxis II content knowledge or principles of learning and teaching (PLT) test used for earning a new license area or endorsement or for NCLB Highly Qualified designation. Tests approved for licensure use in another state but not used in Utah are not valid in this category.

Guidance/Clarification:
For a list of Utah approved university programs, call our general licensing help line, (801) 538-7740. Please note that time spent sitting in the faculty room reading the newspaper while the student teacher is teaching the class does not count.

Acceptable activities shall be approved by the educator's supervisor or by a licensed administrator if the educator is an inactive educator.

The research activity shall be consistent with school and LEA policy.

Each clock hour of participation equals one license renewal point, not to exceed 35 points per activity.

Guidance/Clarification:
“Final, demonstrable product,” means a dissertation, a master’s thesis, a scholarly article (published or otherwise), presentation to professional group, or presentation to a school faculty.